Wall-E (2008; Rated )

Wall-E

Summary:
In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Genre:
Adventure, Animation, Family, Romance, Science Fiction

Director:
Andrew Stanton

Cast:
Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight

At the box office, "Wall-E" might turn out to be one of the least successful films Pixar’s ever done. Of course, it’ll still make hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m not saying it’s a subpar film. It’s close to amazing. But it’s also arguablythe most lyrical and the least accessible entry in the Pixar library. Kids are probably going to get squirmy and impatient, especially during some of the early, dialogue-free sequences.

Like Will Smith in "I Am Legend," Wall-E seems to be alone on Earth. All the people are on a gigantic spaceship, which periodically sends a scout ship back to Earth to see if it can sustain life once again. Once Wall-E falls in love with a robot named Eve and they get into all sorts of trouble on a spaceship containing surviving generations of humans, the film becomes funnier, sweeter and more kid-friendly.

With message-heavy themes about greedy corporations, the environment, and increasingly corpulent humans, "Wall-E" is more complex than "Finding Nemo" or "Cars." The two lead robots are cute and their love story is irresistible, though at times it’s almost unbearably corny. This movie also likes "Hello, Dolly" a lot more than I do. But it’s a beautifully shot film with some hilarious set pieces. And it’s got a lot of heart.